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American Family Care

Our Story

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Text reading "Our Story" followed by the logo and name "AFC American Family Care," your trusted medical center for all urgent care needs.
A black-and-white photograph of a young boy wearing a striped shirt, displayed in an aged, creased frame, reminiscent of the waiting area at an old walk-in clinic.
AFC’s story is one of following your dreams and overcoming incredible adversity. Our founder, Dr. Bruce Irwin, had an early and intense exposure to health care after a tragic train accident left his father wheelchair-bound. Witnessing the care and compassion his father received while recovering from the accident inspired the young man to one day become a doctor. With his father retrained as a shoe repairman, Bruce Irwin and his five sisters grew up in extreme poverty – but the young man never wavered from his goal of becoming a doctor.

After graduating from medical school, Dr. Irwin experienced firsthand the overcrowding of emergency rooms and saw the difficulty working people had accessing health care around their schedules. Knowing there had to be a better way, he envisioned a new kind of health care— with a facility equipped and staffed like an ER, and able to provide routine care from the consumer’s point of view. This simple idea came to fruition in 1982 when the first American Family Care location opened in Birmingham, Alabama. Located close to where patients lived, worked, and shopped, it offered extended hours, 7 days a week. Best of all, it provided access on a walk-in basis, so patients could get the right care, right when they needed it.

A group of people, including medical staff and officials, stand in front of a Family Care and Urgent Care facility, holding a large pair of ceremonial scissors for a ribbon-cutting event at the new walk-in clinic.
A map of the United States with several states colored in red and the rest in gray, highlighting regions served by medical centers.

Back then – in a world where politicians, academicians, and insurance companies drove the world of medicine – the idea of patient-centered health care was a radical one. But the idea took off, and AFC began building clinics in neighborhoods all over. Today, with hundreds of clinics across the U.S. caring for millions of patients each year, AFC is the nation’s leading
provider of urgent care, accessible primary care, and occupational medicine. Best of all, our clinics are independently owned and operated by people committed to your community.

Dr. Irwin’s pioneering efforts created a health care revolution. Today, our vision is to become one of the most admired brands in health care. The key to our success is adherence to our values, and our mission statement: To provide the best healthcare possible, in a kind and caring environment, while respecting the rights of all patients, in an economical manner, at times and locations convenient to the patient.

“From the beginning, my goal was to make high-quality healthcare as accessible as possible. That continues to this day.”

Red banner with the text "D. Bruce Irwin, M.D." in cursive and "Founder, American Family Care" in a smaller print, highlighting his dedication to creating accessible urgent care clinics.
A man in a suit stands smiling at a counter in an urgent care clinic with cabinets and medical supplies in the background.

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AFC CORPORATE OFFICE

3700 Cahaba Beach Road Birmingham, AL 35242

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Our Mission and Values:

Our mission is to provide the best healthcare possible in a kind and caring environment, in an economical manner, while respecting the rights of all of our patients, at times and locations convenient to the patient.
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